Dual Vocational Training (Ausbildung) in Germany

Let’s start by explaining what dual vocational training (duale Ausbildung) is. It is a paid job and a school course running at the same time. You spend most weekdays at a company learning a trade on the shop floor or in the office, and one or two days at vocational school (Berufsschule). Training usually lasts 2 to 3.5 years, and you finish with a recognized professional certificate, not a university degree.

You earn a training salary from day one. That is the part people from unpaid-apprenticeship cultures often miss. Dual training is also much more common in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria than in most other countries. German companies use it as their main way to hire skilled workers for the long run.

Germany also has a dedicated visa for foreigners who secure a training contract, so this path is open to internationals, not only school leavers who grew up here. If you are still choosing between Ausbildung, dual study, and university, use After High School in Germany: Ausbildung vs University. Dual study is a different path: the only dual-study track that includes a real Ausbildung is the Bachelor-level training-integrated model. A dual Master is paid work next to a Master’s, not a chamber apprenticeship. Details: Dual Study in Germany.

Official guidance is summarized on Make it in Germany: Vocational training in Germany.

How dual training works

There are more than 300 recognized training occupations (Ausbildungsberufe), from mechanics and electricians to office clerks and healthcare workers. Length depends on the profession; you finish with a final exam (Abschlussprüfung). Occupations are legally standardized, so a certificate from one company is meant to travel across employers.

Weekly rhythm. Most of the week is practical work at your training company; the rest is classroom instruction at Berufsschule. Pay increases each year. Amounts vary by profession, region, and company. BIBB training allowance statistics publish current averages by occupation.

After the exam. You work as a qualified professional, often at the same company that trained you. For immigration after training, see the Skilled Worker Visa guide.

How this differs from vocational training elsewhere

Dual vocational training is a primary path after school in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In Germany, around half of school leavers who do not go to university enter dual training, across those 300-plus legally standardized occupations. The federal government, the states, chambers of commerce and crafts (IHK / HWK), and trade unions share the running and the funding.

Other European countries often taught vocational skills mainly in school. Dual-style tracks have expanded: France has work-study vocational training (formation en alternance), and the UK has modern apprenticeships. They still cover a smaller share of young people than dual training does in Germany.

In North America and much of the rest of the world, vocational training usually runs through community colleges or technical institutes, without a salary-paying employment contract built into the course. Paid on-the-job apprenticeships exist, but mainly in specific union trades such as construction or electrical work, not across most of the economy.

German employers rely on company-based training as their main long-term hiring pipeline. That is why the dual system is so large here, and why a training contract is a real job from day one.

Popular professions and who can apply

Where international trainees concentrate

According to the BIBB Datenreport 2025, foreigners account for 11.1% of all trainees but concentrate in certain sectors.

Hospitality accounts for the largest share among recently arrived internationals. Hotelfachmann and Hotelfachfrau are the most common paths, followed by Koch and Köchin, Fachkraft für Gastronomie, and Fachmann or Fachfrau für Restaurants. These four hospitality trades account for over a third of new training contracts among recently arrived internationals.

Healthcare assisting is the second major sector. Zahnmedizinische Fachangestellte has a 39.6% foreign trainee share (among the highest of major professions). Medizinische Fachangestellte also ranks in the top five by absolute numbers.

Crafts and IT. Friseur and Friseurin have a 35.6% foreign share; Bäcker and Bäckerin 24.8%. Fachinformatiker and Fachinformatikerin rank 8th by absolute numbers.

Technical industrial trades such as Industriemechaniker, Mechatroniker, and KFZ-Mechatroniker have below-average foreign trainee shares and rarely appear in top lists for internationals, despite being large occupations overall.

Requirements for everyone

School leaving certificate. The required level depends on the profession.

Training contract. A signed contract with a German training company.

German. B1 is the usual minimum for the residence permit per established administrative practice; chambers of commerce (IHK) and many employers expect B2, because Berufsschule instruction and exams are in German.

Recognition. Foreign school certificates may need evaluation via anabin or the recognition portal anerkennung-in-deutschland.de.

Visa and rules for foreign trainees

The residence title is the Aufenthaltserlaubnis für Berufsausbildung under Section 16a of the Residence Act (AufenthG). It lasts for the duration of your training.

Extra work. The training job at your company is the main employment. Section 16a also allows an independent extra job of up to 20 hours a week. Self-employment is not included. Check the side note on your residence card.

After training. You can stay to seek a skilled job in the same field. The usual transition is from Section 16a to Section 18a AufenthG (skilled workers with vocational training); the work approval under BeschV Section 8 para. 1 typically carries over toward settlement and permanent residence.

Language in practice. B1 is often cited for the visa, but plan for B2 if you want realistic chances with employers and Berufsschule. Some programs offer extra German classes alongside training.

If certificates are not recognized. You may need compensatory schooling before or during training. Check status early on anabin.

Pay, costs, and Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe (BAB)

Training is paid from day one. This is not unpaid apprenticeship. Salaries rise each training year. Use BIBB for current averages by profession.

Costs. Vocational school is free. Materials are usually provided by the company. Exam fees are typically covered by the employer as well.

BAB support. If your salary is not enough to live on and you cannot live with parents, you may apply for Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe (BAB) from the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit). Eligibility depends on your residence status:

• Section 16a AufenthG: for people who came specifically for Ausbildung; eligible
• EU citizens and recognized refugees: eligible
• Duldung holders: eligible only after 15 months of continuous residence in Germany
• Asylum seekers with Aufenthaltsgestattung (ongoing procedure): not eligible (Section 60 para. 3 SGB III)

Check arbeitsagentur.de for your situation.

After training and how to start

Paths after training

You can work as a qualified tradesperson (Facharbeiter), pursue further qualifications such as Meister or Techniker, study at a university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) with some training backgrounds, or start your own business in your trade.

For non-EU nationals, a work permit for a qualified job in your trained profession is available and connects to the Skilled Worker Visa pathways, including faster settlement if you completed training in Germany.

Start training in Germany

1. Decide which profession interests you.
2. Check whether your school qualifications are recognized.
3. Improve German to at least B1 (visa minimum); aim for B2 for Berufsschule and employers.
4. Search for training places (Ausbildungsplätze).
5. Apply to companies with application, CV, and certificates.
6. Obtain a signed training contract from a company.
7. If you are abroad, apply for the visa at the German embassy.
8. Travel, register your address (Anmeldung), and start training, usually in August or September.

Useful links

• Make it in Germany: Vocational training in Germany
• Make it in Germany: Visa for vocational training
• BIBB training allowance statistics
• Recognition in Germany
• anabin database